Post-Internet Art
Since the beginning of the shift from traditional boundaries that once defined artists and artwork there has been enormous changes that overtook art within few centuries. Artists exploited the hint of freedom and have ever since continued to push boundaries, embrace new mediums, and engage with pressing social, cultural, and technological issues in their artistic practice. And in the vast realm of contemporary art, ainnovative movement has emerged, captivating the imagination and challenging traditional notions of artistic expression. This movement, known as “Post-Internet,” is a testament to the ever-evolving landscape of creativity in the digital age.
Coined by the visionary artist and curator Marisa Olson, the term “Post-Internet” encompasses a transformative shift in artistic practice that has its roots in the mid-2000s. Discussions surrounding Internet art, fueled by Gene McHugh’s influential blog and Artie Vierkant’s captivating Image Object sculpture series, laid the foundation for the development of this fascinating movement.
What sets Post-Internet art apart is its departure from a mere chronological timeline. It transcends the notion of a world “after” the internet and instead embraces an “internet state of mind,” as eloquently articulated by the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. It encapsulates an artistic landscape deeply intertwined with the digital realm, where the concept of a world devoid of online connectivity becomes increasingly unimaginable.
The term post internet is controversial in a way that it does not define a definite form of works. It it has hence been the subject of much criticism in the art communityand critics have raised concerns about the lack of specificity associated with the term “Post-Internet,” arguing that it merely alludes to a broad contemporary condition. However, its proponents celebrate its transformative power, Art in America’s Brian Droitcour in 2014 opined that the term fails to describe the form of the works, instead “alluding only to a hazy contemporary condition and the idea of art being made in the context of digital technology. “According to a 2015 article in The New Yorker, the term describes “the practices of artists [whose] artworks move fluidly between spaces, appearing sometimes on a screen, other times in a gallery.” Fast Company’s Carey Dunne summarizes they are “artists who are inspired by the visual cacophony of the web” and notes that “mediums from Second Life portraits to digital paintings on silk to 3-D-printed sculpture” are used.
